Applying for Italy Schengen Visa: 2 questions

[macahoom]

I am in the process of helping my Thai girlfriend apply for a visa for Italy. I am British.

The embassy seem to be promoting VFS as the route to take. Unfortunately, the VFS website appears to have been set up by a bunch of five year olds.

I have two questions, if anyone can help:

1) Does my girlfriend simply arrive, unannounced, in Bangkok at the VFS office with her completed application? No need for an appointment? Maybe I'm stupid, but I cannot find, on the VFS website, any mention of how to lodge the application other than “at the VFS office”.

2) On the VFS checklist, they state that they require documents which show “Hotel booking for the whole duration of the trip. If it is done online, please notice that the stamp of the hotel and a signature are requested.” I am a Luddite when it comes to IT, but pray tell me: how do I get an online hotel reservation with a stamp and a signature? I'm pretty sure I know the answer: it's not possible. So, how do I deal with this request?

I already have all the hotel reservations, by the way. (All can be cancelled if the visa is refused.)

If anyone has experience of applying for an Italy Schengen visa, any helpful information would be much appreciated.

[Donutz]

Just to be on the save side I'll point to the Schengen sticky:
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/724180-schengen-visa-faq-when-applying-from-thailand/

As far as your questions go:

1) As you may be aware from the Schengen sticky, and IF the Italians provided proper information, VFS is entirely optional and ALL applications (especially those who are family of EU nationals such as spouses) can bypass the external party entirely and deal directly with the embassy. Embassies have an obligation to inform the public about this but not all are keen on doing this and hide this information or even lie about it when asked (in such cases: complain to the EU Ombudsman "Solvit" and EU Home Affairs, aswell as the EU representation in TH).

Italian embassy:
http://www.ambbangkok.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Bangkok/Menu/Informazioni_e_servizi/Visti/

You can either go to the visa center, which as far as I know and can tell requires no appointment but does cost you a fee and any guidance will be limited and less knowledgeable then actual embassy (visa) staff. The other option is directly turning to the embassy, via an appointment (which should be granted within 2 weeks of the request) which thus enable more proper guidance at the counter by the embassy staff, is entirely free but may take up to 2 weeks to get the appointment.

Visa appointment can be also scheduled directly with the Visa Office of the Embassy by following these procedures.
-----------------------------

VISA OFFICE – ITALIAN EMBASSY IN BANGKOK

If you choose not to submit your application through the Italy Visa Application Centre, you can lodge it directly at the Visa Section of the Italian Embassy.

Appointments can be scheduled by calling the Call Center Tel +66 (0) 2 2639101. Applicants are required to indicate their general information (name, sex, d.o.b and Number of passport ), the type of visa requested and the prospective date of departure.

Applicants must appear in person at the counter with the required documentation for the type of visa you want to request

The Visa Office is open to the public on Monday –10:00 -12:00 Wednesday 14:00-16:00 – Friday 10:00-12:00.

It is recommended to set the appointment well in advance (at least 3 weeks) compared to the departure date and prestasbilita limited to the days and times established

The office may require a personal interview. In this case, applicants are asked to come up with 15 minutes before the time fixed. In case of impossibility 'to appear, will be necessary to set a new appointment

Each visa application must include all the required documents for the type of visa requested

Applicants can contact our Office by sending an e-mail to the following address: visa.ambbang (at) esteri.it.

Passports can be picked up on the same days and hours above mentioned.

2) It seems rather silly, most embassies have no problem with online reservations if you show some sort of confirmation such as an e-mail from the hotel or agency that did the reservation. A few embassies (don't know which ones, Spaniards??) have issues with Booking.com for for silly reasons, even though the Visa Code says that hotel reservations are perfectly fine and doesn't detail that this needs to be confirmed by the hotel (by stamps or other such means). A confirmation of a reservation should be enough... if you could get e-mail confirmation from the hotel even better, just don't make any (serious) costs. Embassies advice against making any final bookings for hotels, flights etc. so that you do not end up wasting money on a hotel or flight which cannot be used incase of a visa denial. Sadly I have no experience with how difficult the Italians might be. The French and Spanish embassy are a bunch of tw*ts, the Dutch, Germans, Austrians etc. are not being overly difficult at all. Italians... don't know.

[Donutz]

I checked the VFS document and it's pretty crappy:

http://www.vfsglobal.com/italy/thailand/pdf/tourist_checklist_260215.pdf

- The "stamps" for online booking make no sense...

- Wishing stamps for travel insurance is something pre-internet era... many (EU based) companies have cheap online travel insurance with a (watermarked) PDF document as proof, you couldn't get a hardcopy (signed and stamped)...

- Not clearly saying that a round trip reservation is enough, it mentions "booking" but needs not be paid!!

- The checklist does not cover EU/EEA spouse applications properly: no mention of no insurance, no hotelbooking reservation or flight reservation being required and neither is proof of financial solvability or proof of reasons to return (employement contract etc.) for these applications.

- copy of house registration? Lol. They must love paperwork...

- translations not more then 1 month old? lol.

- ....

IMHO the Italians really could update their own website and VFS instructions on the site and online documents, and drop a few of the silly requests about stamps, paperwork etc. If this is any indication of them being a difficult bunch, I cannot tell.. Hopefully a forummember here has dealt with the Italians for a Schengen visa (regular or the free, simplified EU spouse type).

Edited March 5, 2015 by Donutz

[beano2274]

This is a visa for his Girlfriend, not spouse so he would have to use the VFS Route. And have insurance, hotel booking details, flight bookings etc.

[Donutz]

This is a visa for his Girlfriend, not spouse so he would have to use the VFS Route. And have insurance, hotel booking details, flight bookings etc.

VFS is optional for all applicants.

And indeed since they are not married they will need a hotel booking reservation, flightreservation, insurance, sufficient funds etc. (all of which is not required if it was an application for a Thai spouse joining their EU -UK- partner for a trip to Italy).

[theoldgit]

My partner used the VFS to get her Schengen last year for a visit to Italy, it was a last minute trip, time was limited and we couldn't be bothered to get into an argument over direct access.

I don't think the VFS office gives details about direct access, but it is detailed on the Italian Consulates website, I've attached the details.

When submitting her application my partner included printouts of confirmation of hotels booked online for our tour, insurance purchased online, flight tickets back to the UK and details of her bank account.

The only problem she encountered was that the VFS staff refused to accept her insurance purchased from Columbus Direct, a UK company, she has an annual policy, they kept saying that the insurance must be purchased from their select list of Thai insurers or an insurer from within Schengen. I tried to explain that they were wrong, but all they could answer was that "England isn't in Schengen", this was backed up by an onsite manager. In the end we purchased an inferior policy for a hundred Baht or so in the same building.

After the visa was issued I did complain to the Italian Consulate and VFS management, the Consulate confirmed that the original insurance was compliant and VFS admitted they were wrong, adding that they would remind their staff of the requirements.

At the end of the day she loved her visit to Italy, and it's on her return list.

Italy direct.doc

[teatree]

My feeling is that the northern countries such as Sweden, Denmark etc will play by the rules and the southern countries such as Spain, Italy etc will make their own rules up and be more bureaucratic.

If doing a tour of Europe (why not as the countries are packed relatively close together) I would make a Nordic country one of my destinations and apply at that country's embassy.

[theoldgit]

If doing a tour of Europe (why not as the countries are packed relatively close together) I would make a Nordic country one of my destinations and apply at that country's embassy.

That's good in theory, but the Schengen rules state you should apply via the country which is your main destination, if you're touring so have no main destination, then you should apply at the country where you enter the Schengen Area, so to do what you suggest, and it makes sense, you would actually need to enter via that Nordic country.

Some consulates are quite picky on this, last year we had planned to enter via Paris, spend a few days there before travelling to the UK. From the UK we were joining friends on a trip to Italy, before once again returning to the UK. We were returning to Paris via Brussels and Amsterdam, before flying home to Thailand.

As we had no main destination, we were spending the same number of days on French and Italian soil, we applied via the French Consulate. They took the time to work out that we were spending a few hours longer on French soil than Italian, they refused to process the application or return the fee and supporting documents, this actually flew in the face of the Schengen Agreement.

My partner applied at the Italian consulate who, despite the best efforts of VFS, issued the visa in time.

The French did eventually return the fee and the supporting documents, but in doing so wouldn't admit they were wrong.

What a pleasure it was to deal with the Dutch consulate last month.

[macahoom]

Thank you to everyone for your replies.

It's quite amazing to me how something so important appears to be controlled by a pack of idiots.

To theoldgit: Yes, my girlfriend also has the Columbus annual insurance (brilliant!) I knew they wouldn't accept it, so she's already bought one of VFS's recommended, hopelessly inadequate 875 Baht policies.

[Ian1980]

Sorry,but after your gf will go to see you in Uk?

I am from Italy and i can say that this is the worst embassy i have deal with ever

[macahoom]

Sorry,but after your gf will go to see you in Uk?

I am from Italy and i can say that this is the worst embassy i have deal with ever

No, we live in Thailand and are hoping to go to Italy for a holiday.

[Ian1980]

Sorry,but after your gf will go to see you in Uk?

I am from Italy and i can say that this is the worst embassy i have deal with ever

No, we live in Thailand and are hoping to go to Italy for a holiday.

Why you no try to come in from another country?From my experience Germany is better than the italian embassy